Jasper Gerard reviews
Corrigan's Mayfair - 8.5/10
Wednesday, November 19, 2008 - His new restaurant is superb, showcasing typically gutsy, gamey Irish cooking. And what value. The great secret of how to eat in top restaurants at low prices is to seek out set-lunch menus. If Angela Hartnett's Murano is a fantastic bargain, Corrigan's blows me away: a fine two-course lunch and carafe of wine for £19.50. You could be stung for more at Café Rouge.
The Vyse Room at Stoke Place - 4/10
Friday, October 17, 2008 - When we eventually hit the village of Stoke Poges, a local kindly directs us to the Vyse Room, Stoke Place, by reeling off as landmarks various housing developments. Eventually we crunch up a drive to a William and Mary manor house that is pure Jane Austen…The dining-room is one of the most magnificent I've entered: light blue with high, stark-white ceilings and French windows leading to lawns and lakes. You half expect some fop in knee breeches to charge through crying "Oh Millicent, how could you?" before venting his frustration on a game of croquet.
The River Cafe - 8/10
Thursday, October 09, 2008 - At the grand relaunch, I do an instant double take: isn't the restaurant exactly the same? OK, so the kitchen, including vast bread oven, is now open. New space has been bought at the back to house a private dining room where children can watch films at weekends while parents merrily imbibe at their table. Most innovatively, there is a cheese store so the wonderful pecorino Canestrato can age like fine vino.
Bill's Produce Store - 8/10
Friday, September 26, 2008 - A pioneer of the Lewes Pound is Bill's Produce Store, which uses fruit and veg from farms in the region. And this is not the only particular in which Bill's hints at national possibilities. A stake in this store and fabulous café has been snapped up by Richard Caring, who owns Le Caprice and The Ivy: he wants to spread the Bill's model across the country. It's quite some achievement for Bill Collison, who started selling veg from a nearby stall...
The Modern Pantry - 8/10
Friday, September 19, 2008 - Anna Hansen…one of London's best-regarded female chefs…has spent the past four years struggling to open her first solo venture, The Modern Pantry. She finally managed it on Tuesday, the day London wallets turned to stone. It wasn't exactly packed.
L'Autre Pied - 7/10
Friday, August 29, 2008 - You can't fault the value. At £16.50 for two courses of guinea fowl and lamb, this will soon go head to head on price with Spud U Like. But while it is advisable at restaurants to book in advance, here it might be judicious to eat in advance. Despite seven courses, we depart merely full rather than Boris-esque.
